Several of the thousands of adult Federally Endangered Higgins' Eye mussels propagated by federal and state cooperators at the Lake Pepin, Minnesota, culture site on the Upper Mississippi River. - FWS photo

Portion of sub-adult Higgins'Eye Pearlymussels harvested at Lake Pepin, Minnesota, cage culture site on the Upper Mississippi River. - FWS photo

Thanks to concerted efforts of a multi-Federal and state natural resource agency partnership, recovery efforts for the federally endangered Higgins’ Eye Pearlymussel made significant progress during 2006 in the Upper Mississippi River system. 

Under the guidance of a 2002 relocation plan, formulated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Mussel Conservation Team (a consortium of state and federal agencies charged with mussel conservation efforts on the Upper Mississippi River), more than 2.2 million juvenile Higgins’ Eye mussels were released into multiple recovery sites within the Upper Mississippi river watershed during 2006. 

In addition to the millions of young mussels stocked by the Mussel Conservation Team (MCT) during 2006, the group completed harvest operations on their advanced growth cage culture operations, in Lake Pepin, Minnesota and Dubuque, Iowa. 

Combined production of yearling mussels at the two sites yielded more than 22,000 sub-adults. These mussels will be cultured for an additional two years before being stocked into relocation and recovery sites within the Upper Mississippi River watershed in tMinnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. 

Placement of advanced stage sub-adult and adult mussels from these operations first began in 2004 and, since that time, have been responsible for the establishment of six additional populations of these endangered animals in the Mississippi River and several tributaries. 

During 2006 an additional 2,443 adult and sub-adult mussels produced from the Lake Pepin culture operation were released into recovery areas in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois.  

The Fish and Wildlife Service has been a key player in these recovery efforts by being an active participant in the MCT, as well as providing technical assistance through its Twin Cities Ecological Services Field Office, Minneapolis,  LaCrosse Fisheries Resource Office, Wisconsin, and the Genoa National Fish Hatchery, Wisconsin. 

Cooperative efforts between these offices, as well as the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the state departments of natural resources in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois, stand as an example of how different programs, agencies, and people can come together and overcome great challenges.

For more information about this or other projects associated with the Genoa National Fish Hatchery please contact Doug Aloisi or Roger Gordon at roger_gordon@fws.gov or call 608-689-2605.